News from the Top

Assistant Chief of General Staff Human Resources
Col Al McCone

22 May 2007

GETTING ON WITH IT

In an old story, a traveller comes across two stonemasons chipping blocks of stone in a quarry. In response to his questioning, one mason states he is creating blocks to the given specification. The other states he is building a cathedral. One is doing a job; the other is following a vision. Which would you rather be?

In a recent article, the CEO of an organisation was lamenting the fact that some people he worked with would never be able to appreciate the need for some of the things he had had to do in order to keep their organisation profitable. This reminded me of instances I have witnessed during my career when initiatives to improve the way we do things have been delayed or even stopped by a few people who thought they knew better.

If we look at history, we see many examples of people who said “Impossible”, “Won’t work”, “Impractical”, “NO”; but in fact the world IS round and the earth DOES circle the sun, straw CAN produce biofuel for cars, men HAVE played golf on the moon. In each case, someone has had the curiosity and imagination to say, we can do this, there is an answer. We need this ‘YES’ mentality in Army. The ‘YES’ mentality means we look at a challenge, assess the risks and, whenever possible, say “let’s go”. This is consistent with our values of courage and commitment.

I believe there are two major responsibilities at play here. The first is that senior officers have a responsibility to think through all decisions in the light of all the information we have about resources, downstream effects, operational needs, and so forth. It is our responsibility to make sure each decision means we are delivering the best possible Army for the future given our current position. It is a responsibility we must take very seriously, as our decisions are not only beholden to the government and ultimately the taxpayer, but also may save or cost lives on a battlefield.

The second major responsibility is for all of us, as officers and soldiers, to do the best we can to follow the direction given by our superiors. A “YES” attitude will help this. While we often have the opportunity to voice our concerns, there comes a point where consultation stops and direction starts. Our responsibility is to recognise that point and to get on with what we have been directed to do. We need to remember that our disagreement with a decision doesn't stop that decision from being good for the organisation as a whole.

Our ‘cathedral’ is to be a world class Army that has mana. Each of us needs to be dedicated to that end, building it according to the plans provided. Over the next few years we will need to continue to change our approach to warfare and the way we work as an organisation - the architects will have to alter our cathedral plan because of changes in material and building methods. Whatever those changes, our job is to get on with working towards being a world class Army, a war-fighting force that protects New Zealand’s national and international interests.